Tag: PBL goup 5

Opening the mind…

Being aware that the way we think is rooted in our life experiences and education is very important in breaking the rigidity of thinking and being open to listening and integrating other perspectives. Then, knowledge can happen. One of my personal development goals is to try to identify and understand why people see the same issue from different perspectives and to put myself in their shoes. I believe that achieving this understanding will make me able to accept more of other people’s perspectives and make me a wise person (one day…).

I am part of a research community of practice. I think it is similar to the communities of practice discussed by Wenger (2010).
We are a group of Masters and PhD students and junior researchers. There is also a senior researcher who is a teacher and the supervisor of most of the students. We learn by presenting, commenting on and discussing each other’s work. The supervisor also comments on the work, but she’s also subject to the comments on the students’ presentations. There is no criticism, only discussion of research options and suggestions for improvement. When I presented this experience to my PBL group, a colleague raised the question of power issues that might be present in such a community, given the involvement of a senior researcher. I never felt it, but I cannot deny that there could be power imbalances in my research community of practice, especially for Masters students.

Participating in my research community of practice, as well as (and especially) in my PBL group, is very challenging as I can’t always follow the line of thought of the other participants. But participating in such groups is also very enriching because I can connect with other ways of thinking that are grounded in people’s personal and professional life experiences. And that is certainly a step towards one of my life’s goals.

Just a note: my research community of practice is called JEDI (https://ciie.fpce.up.pt/en/copin/copin-z) 🙂

Wenger, E. (2010). Communities of practice and social learning systems: the career of a concept. In Social learning systems and communities of practice (pp. 179-198). Springer London.

April 22, 2024 1 Comment

How did I get here?!

I’m attending the ONL 241 course which is very challenging as I don’t have much available time (as many other people). But I’m finding it very interesting and useful!

Last week I watched the recording of the webinar with David White, which was very inspiring. David challenged the participants to draw a map of their footprint in the digital world. I thought it could be funny to draw mine and was surprised with what I got.

I thought of myself as a technological person, as I always look for tools that can make life (and especially work) easier and less time-consuming. Now, I consider ‘technology’ as a set of tools, and ‘digital’ as the way of using technology, but I’m not sure if technology is always digital. Is it?

Maybe I am more ‘digital’ than I thought I was. In fact, I never thought about the concept of digital applied to me. Nevertheless, as an example, I almost don’t use pen and paper to take notes… I use OneNote for professional notes, and Goggle Keep for personal ones.

Doing the map, I realised that I have two identities that I keep separate: the personal (in yellow) and the professional (in green).

It seems that I am moving through the continuum, being more of a visitor in some digital spaces and more of a resident in others. For example, I use Facebook and Instagram with personal accounts, but I almost don’t post anything there as I don’t like to expose my personal life. In the professional spot, essentially, I use tools that enhance productivity. Still, I am distant from being a real resident in the sense of producing content for digital sharing, that is, for sharing on the internet. But I have a doubt… being a resident in David White’s continuum means being an expert in the use of digital tools, or it means leaving a footprint on the internet?

The internet can be a very dangerous place, especially for personal exposure! Besides phishing practices, when we expose our opinions, we are subject to receiving unpolite comments from people who disagree. Yes, disagreement is positive as it can lead people to think better about a subject, but rudeness is not acceptable.

That brings me to the scenario set up for topic 1, ‘online participation and digital literacies’, and the debates in the Take V PBL group meetings. The group has come to focus on Critical Thinking Skills (CTS) as being important to filter the huge amount of information available on the internet. Critical thinking allows people to evaluate the trustworthiness of the information and its applicability. I believe that CTS are fundamental for every person in every context and not only for digital use. CTS should be developed in educational contexts since early childhood. I believe that the development of CTS could impact positively on relationships and, therefore, contribute to a better world as it would improve inclusion and social justice.

Is it a utopian view? I don’t believe in utopia, as several past utopias are a reality nowadays.

Best,

March 7, 2024 10 Comments